Surviving Chaos

Seth had always been a curious young man, and no other time during the year piqued his curiosity more than Christmas time. The sounds, the smells, and the lights captured his 8-year-old attention and bred anticipation and wonder.

On Christmas Eve, Seth found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. Friends invited him and his family to join them for the church’s Christmas Eve candlelight service. Seth had seen his share of churches from the outside but had always wondered what churches looked like on the inside. Seth and his parents arrived early and sat in a pew towards the back of the church. After several minutes of sitting quietly between his parents, which to Seth felt like an eternity, their friends arrived and excitedly greeted them. They exchanged pleasantries and remained standing as the adults continued to talk. Seth wasn’t interested in adult talk. He would rather see what exciting things in this new environment he might discover. Seeing his chance to escape and explore, Seth carefully squirmed away from his mom. Inch by inch, he moved further away from his mother without anyone noticing. His escape was a success. Seth was free to explore and search for new adventures.  

Seth quietly approached the front of the sanctuary without anyone noticing. His mom might notice his absence if he was loud and beckoned his return. He didn’t want to risk the chance his adventure would be cut short. So, Seth remained quiet and carefully observed his surroundings.

At the front of the church, he noticed a large rectangular wooden table. As Seth stood observing the table, his fingers traced over words carved into the table, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Seth felt the smoothness of the letters and wondered at their significance. A small, green wreath sat on the table, flanked by four beautiful candles. Each of the candles was lit and flickered with life. In the center of the arrangement stood a singular white candle, the color of the purest snowfall. The wreath was beautiful yet simple. There was no glitter or hype, yet it stood as the table’s centerpiece. A little voice inside his mind told him to reach out and touch the centerpiece. He wanted to understand the wreath’s significance. But just as he was about to reach out and touch the wreath, his mother’s voice echoed in his head, telling him to leave the pretties alone.

As the light from the candles danced, Seth became increasingly engrossed, falling deeper into a trance. The movement of the flames was almost hypnotic.

Slowly, the candles began to come to life. Four of the most beautiful angels Seth had ever seen almost magically emerged from the flames. After a few seconds, four childlike angels stood before Seth, now holding the candle they had come from. Each angel took on the color of the candle they were holding.

With soft smiles and twinkling eyes, they turned their attention to Seth.  

Seth was in awe and without words. He was puzzled by what he had just witnessed. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if this was part of a dream. Seth turned around to see if anyone else had noticed this majestic moment, but it seemed no one else was paying attention. Satisfied that he was fully awake and that this was not part of a dream, he opened his mouth and asked, “What are you?”

The prettiest of the little angels spoke up, “We are the candles of Advent. We help tell the story of Christmas and the coming Messiah.”

Confusion came over Seth’s face. He had spent very little time in church, and words like “Messiah” or “Advent” were new to him.

Gracefully, the little angel saw the confusion on Seth’s face and clarified her statement, “The story of Christmas is so important that it takes all of us to explain it.”

Seth inquisitively asked, “You mean Christmas is more than just getting presents and bright flashing lights?”

With a smile, the angel said, “Christmas is about the arrival of the most important person ever to be born. Christmas is the story of Jesus’ birth”.

The tiniest angel excitedly continued, “Christmas is the story of God’s love for the whole world!”

Still trying to figure out what he was hearing, Seth tried to choose his words carefully. The prettiest angel interrupted him before Seth could say anything, “I can see we’re not making ourselves clear. Maybe if we tell you more about who we are, things might become clearer”.

When she had finished talking, a thin but graceful angel stepped forward. She was holding a purple candle which danced with excitement. “I am the Candle of Hope. But I am also called the Prophet’s candle. I help others remember the stories from the bible that tell about the coming of baby Jesus years before his birth. In my part of the story, we find anticipation and excitement because God reminded his people that something special was coming. God’s people listened to the words of the prophets and waited with anticipation, excitement, and hope to see God fulfill his promises.”

Next, a shorter, stockier angel turned to speak to Seth. “I am the Candle of Peace. Some call me the Bethlehem candle because I help others remember Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem when I glow. It was a long, tiring journey for the pregnant couple, and when they finally arrived in Bethlehem, they knew Jesus would be born soon.”

With a soft smile, the prettiest angel spoke up, “I am the Candle of Joy, also known as the Shepherd’s candle. My color differs a bit from my sister’s. It’s in the pink candle where I help people to remember the joy and celebration the shepherds felt when they discovered that the heavenly hosts chose them to share the birth announcement of the king of King, Jesus. The coming of Jesus should be a celebration. We should celebrate Christmas joyfully and rejoice because God sent his son to save the world.”

Finally, the tiniest angel turned to Seth. There was something different about her. Though she was the smallest, her compassion and excitement differed from the others. “I am the Candle of Love. I am the angel’s candle. My responsibility is to speak the greatest truth anyone could ever understand: God loves you. I help people see that when God sent his son into the world as a baby, God showed the world the extent of this love. God loves his creation. God loves you, Seth. When I glow, my message can’t be any clearer. God sent his son so you can experience his unconditional love.”

With that, the angels turned away from Seth and faced towards the candle in the center of the wreath. The white pillar candle stood majestic and firm. The center candle began to change as the angels closed their eyes and bowed their heads. It transformed from a pillar to a tiny manger. Inside, the manager held the infant, Jesus. After several moments, the candle began to change again. It transformed from a cradle into a sheep. The sheep was perfectly white and at peace. Once more, the candle began to change, transforming from a sheep to a familiar icon. Seth recognized this. The candle became a cross. The cross was empty, but instead of being white, it was stained with markings of red. The four angels began to worship out loud, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the lamb. The one who takes away the sins of the world”.

Seth watched in silence as the angels worshipped the center candle. He could feel his heart move within his chest and tears welling up in his eyes. This candle wasn’t like the others. This candle was the reason the others had a purpose. This candle was unique.

After a few more minutes, the white candle returned to its pillar form. The angels turned back towards Seth, and the prettiest angel spoke, “Seth, the center candle is called the Christ Candle. It reminds us of Jesus’ birth, life, and even death on the cross. It speaks about Jesus’ resurrection, and most importantly, it promises people that Jesus is coming back someday.”

Seth sheepishly asked, “You mean Jesus is coming back again?”

The prettiest angel answered, “Yes. Jesus promised he would return for those who live for him. He promised that those who lived their lives for him would live in heaven with him someday. That’s why we celebrate Advent. That’s why we light these candles. The Candle of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love all point to the promise that Jesus, the Christ, the king, will one day return for those who choose to live for him.”

Seth listened intently to the angel’s words, and they began to make sense for the first time. He began to understand the beauty and significance of the candle of Advent and the Christ Candle. He realized that Christmas was a celebration of God’s love for the world through the birth of his son, Jesus.

With a smile and a nod, the prettiest angel spoke to Seth again, saying, “Remember, Seth, Christmas is a time for hope, peace, joy, and love. It’s a time for reflecting and celebrating the incredible gift and promise found only in Jesus.”

Seth nodded as a sense of joy and peace washed over him. He knew that he would never see Christmas the same again because of this encounter with the candles of Advent. Seth returned to his parents and sat quietly, contemplating his magical encounter.

Throughout the service, carols were sung, scripture was read, and a message of hope was given. Towards the end of the service, the church lights were dimmed, and some men passed out tiny little candles. One by one, row by row, the candles were lit as the congregation sang. The flame was passed from one person to another. Seth held his lit candle and watched the flame dance before him. He closed his eyes and quietly said, “Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. That’s what Christmas is all about.” His mother leaned in and asked what he had just said.

“Oh, I was just remembering what Christmas is all about. It’s about Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.”

His mother looked astonished and proud. “Indeed,” she said, “Christmas is about those things and much more.”

As Seth and his family left the church, they stepped into the crisp winter night, lit by a beautiful starlit sky. Seth took in the cool air and held his breath. As he let out the air filling his lungs, he said, “Thank you, God, for loving me so much,” and grabbed hold of his mother’s and father’s hands and swung them with extreme gladness and gratitude.

From that day forward, Seth carried the message of the Advent candles close to his heart. He shared the real meaning of Christmas with anyone he met. He worked each day to make Jesus proud of his life by embodying the hope, peace, joy, and love found only in following the true king, Jesus. The story of Christmas came alive in Seth’s heart, changing him forever.